The Voice: Jenna's Story
by Laugh Until You Obitine
Summary: This was not Jenna's plan. She did not want to audition for Season 7 of The Voice. But here she is. My sister wrote this story, so beware! T because we're careful. It's probably more like K .
1. Chapter 1

_**My sister decided that she was going to write a "The Voice" fan fiction. Yay. I hope you enjoy it, and **_**_please don't hate her._**

This was not my plan. I didn't want to be here, singing in front of four global superstars. It just... ended up this way. It's a long story, so I hope you have time.

Alex was excited. His face was lit up, and I enjoyed seeing my brother so happy, since I didn't get to see him smile much anymore. My 24 year old brother was auditioning to audition for The Voice USA. Since it had been just the two of us for six years now, I had come with him because I was scared to be anywhere else. I was 13 and had had a bad childhood. Yes, I didn't consider my self a child anymore. Not after what had happened.

I put my earbuds in and turned on Beyoncé's _If I Were A Boy_ while Alex signed in at the front desk. I found my self singing along in a few moments' time. About three-fourths of the way through, a man walked up to me.

"What's your name, girl?"

"Um, Jenna. Jenna Laken. Why?"

"You have a very pretty voice. Come with me."

I looked around. Alex wouldn't be back for at least half an hour. He _was_ always telling me to 'open up and take a risk' so I did. I followed that man.

Two men and a woman sat at a desk. I heard a door slam, and the man I had followed was gone. The panel looked up at me unhappily.

"Name?"

"Jenna Laker."

"So, are you going to sing already, Jenna?"

"Um, sure?"

The first song that popped into my head was If I Was A Boy, so I started to belt it out. (See, Alex? I could take a risk!) My family has been called talented in the musical department; both Alex and I have good voices. And so I just sang, not a care in the world. I just wished that I could feel that way all the time.

After I was done, the woman lowered her glasses down off her nose. "How old are you, child?"

"Thirteen, ma'am."

They started at me in astonishment, then turned and talked in low voices."

After about five minutes, the turned back towards me. "People aren't supposed to audition for The Voice until they're 15-"

"Oh, so _that's_ what I was doing!"

"As I was saying, you aren't 15 yet, but we're going to make an exception for you. That was quite amazing, young lady."

"Thanks."

I was led back out to the waiting room, where I found Alex.

"Where have you been?"

"Auditioning. I think. Maybe? Well, whatever happened, I'm in! They're letting me audition on season 7 of The Voice! You?"

"They didn't like it. i guess I- wait. You're auditioning. Seriously?"

"Yep. Is that a problem? If it is I can always decline-"

"No, it's amazing!"

"Yay! So I'm allowed to?"

"If they're okay with the fact that you're only 13, I don't think there'd be a problem."

"Awesome!"

Now all I had to do was audition.

_**Okay, Chapter 2 should be out in, like, 2 days. At the most. My sister is a LITTLE obsessed. Hope you liked it!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_My sister's back. Whoopee. Please don't hate her!_**

I flopped down on the couch in our apartment. It was 10:00, _way_ too late for me to be up. Alex looked down at me.

"Go to bed. Now."

"Carry me."

Alex let out a sigh, but he complied. "You are getting way too big for this."

I lay down in my bed. "Night, Alex."

"Goodnight, Jenna." Alex said, closing my door.

I switched on my nightlight and closed my eyes. At about 1:00, I heard a creaking. Somewhere in my subconsciousness I knew it was just my window, but I freaked out, thinking it was my dad, wanting to hit me again. I wanted to go to Alex, but I went to him. Every night. Without fail. I had taken a risk with following the nameless man, and I wanted to sing for the judges. I had given Alex no veto rights. I couldn't go back to my weak self. So I did what any sensible person would do. I cried the rest of the night.

****** 2 weeks later******

I walked down the hallway, Alex beside me. Blake's picture caught my eye, the Adam's. Before I could get to Pharrell's or Gwen's, Alex was asking me questions. No, I didn't know who I was going to choose. No, I didn't want to touch up my makeup. No, I didn't want to wear makeup in the first place. No, for the kajillionth time, _I didn't know who I was going to choose already!_

Before I knew it, Carson Daily was interviewing me.

"So where are your parents, Jenna?"

"My mom died in a car wreck when I was 7. My dad committed suicide two days later. Um, yeah."

"Our apologies. So who are you want to choose as a coach?"

I almost lost it. _I DIDN'T KNOW ALREADY! (In retrospect, that was a pretty sensible question.)_

I managed to get my act together, and slowly walked down the backstage hallway. I grabbed my microphone and walked through the thick 'The Voice' doors.

I stood on the stage and took a deep breath. Then I started singing 'If I Were A Boy' because the Voice people didn't allow me to change songs.

Finally, I finished the song and looked up. I hadn't paid attention to the chairs- if I had, I would've lost the little nerve I had left. I had gotten Gwen, Pharrell, and Adam to turn around. Blake's chair was still red.

I stood, holding my microphone. What in the world had I done? This was exactly what my dad had discouraged, what he hit me for. The scar on the back of my neck throbbed, like it new my dad would have punched me for this if he was alive.

I was so terrified, i almost missed Blake making my name.

"Oh, my name is Jenna Laker. I'm 13, er, sir?"

Blake laughed. "I'm not really a sir. But, wow, you're young. I didn't know 13 year olds were able to, you know, audition."

I could barely understand him through his southern drawl.

The coaches made their pitches, and I was left to make my decision.

"I pick-"

_**Hope you liked it. Chapter 3 should be coming soon.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**She's back again. I'm thinking about just letting her write these intros... Enjoy.**_

"-Gwen."

Gwen laughed and ran up to me.

"Yay! I can't wait to work with you!"

She hugged me, and I involuntarily flinched. I managed a smile, but I was sure that it looked more like a grimace.

I walked down the stage, and Adam stuck his fist out at me.

Terrified, I covered my head with my arms and squealed "Please don't hurt me!"

Adam looked at me like I had grown a third arm. "Relax, kid, I just wanted a fist bump."

I nodded, and started mumbling under my breath. "He's not going to hurt me. Really. He's not. Get yourself together, Jenna."

I walked down the hallway, and into the room where Alex was waiting.

He hugged me, and his body radiated love. "I am so incredibly proud of you Jenna! Team Gwen!"

"I know! She gave me a T-shirt!"

Alex laughed, and a man grabbed my arm and started to lead me out of the room.

"Where are you taking me? Alex!"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Jenna, he's taking you to the Team-Gwen-Green-Room-Thingie. Have fun!"

The man opened the door, and I stumbled into the Team-Gwen-Green-Room-Thingie.

A boy was sitting there, and he looked up. "Hello, Jenna."

"How do you know my name? What do you want?"

"Relax. The Voice producers put up a TV that has live feed. My name's Taylor John Williams. I was Gwen's first artist. You're her second, since you're the second one here... okay, I guess that last sentence didn't make much sense... whatever. Welcome! Are you okay? You looked... uncomfortable up there."

He didn't know the half of it. I'm what people call socially awkward. Or just plain awkward. When I see people I freeze up. Or I get extremely defensive. Sometimes I do both. Once i become comfortable with a person, that all goes away.

Taylor looked at me, obviously expecting an answer.

"Oh, yeah, I'm not the best, er, conversationalist. Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

"No problem. Let me guess... You've been scarred before."

"Yeah. Um, well, you see, er, yeah."

Yep. I am the most scintillating conversationalist you will ever meet.

Taylor just laughed. "Can't say I relate, but I understand. Oh, hey, the next artist is on. Let's watch!"

"Okay."

I was relieved. One less second I had to make a fool of myself was a well-used second.

After the 90 seconds were up, the coaches were fighting for the artist. Danica, I think. Yes, that's who she was.

Pharrell got her, and Taylor let out a sigh of exclamation. "Pharrell has gotten so many artists!"

"Wait, on season 6," I started, trying to not say anything stupid, "Adam might get an artist, then maybe Shakira, then Blake, I guess, and then Usher..." I trailed off, seeing Taylor holding back a laugh.

"Jenna, all that is edited."

"Right."

S_tupid, stupid girl. You don't deserve to be here._

My dad's words echoed in my head. And I couldn't help but believe him. I knew that one sentence had made up Taylor's mind. I was 13 and I didn't seem to know anything. I was to be treated like a child. And I didn't like that.

One by one, the rest of Gwen's team was filled.

I managed to say only a handful of words the entire time. It was almost involuntary. Battles were coming. They edged nearer with each artist that made a team. I was absolutely terrified.

**_Chapter 4 should be coming soon... hope you liked this one!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Okay, my sister's back. Yay. She'll write now._**

Team Gwen was standing in the piano room. Gwen looked around, deciding her matches. "Okay, let's see. How about Jenna and... Taylor John Williams."

I managed a weak smile, but I was terrified. Not only was Taylor good, but he was the only person besides Gwen that took the time to try to get me to say a few words. I had managed to get Taylor into the sentence-mode.

I slowly followed Taylor as he walked to the makeup area.

I sat down in the styling chair and waited. I felt the makeup coat my face lightly. I was done 10 full minutes before Taylor was. I wondered what that meant.

We walked into the first rehearsal room, and the first thing i saw was Gavin Rossdale. He was Gwen Stefani's husband, and before you make any judgements, I _didn't_ want him there. I mean, I respected his music and everything, but it was hard enough for me to talk with just Gwen and Taylor.

Gwen smiled. "Okay, I chose the song Jolene for you guys, since you both like haunting music."

How did she know that? I must have mentioned that after my Blind Audition... I really needed to watch that so I knew what the heck I had said then. It was Blake's asking my name then a blur of sounds and images.

I grabbed the music sheet she offered and put it on the piano. We went through the rehearsals and from habit I winced whenever Gwen said I did something wrong, ready for the beating that never came.

When the rehearsal was over, Taylor and I went over to the wardrobe, where the fashion designers would find outfits for us.

Taylor held up silver, metallic, skin-tight leggings up for me to see. "How about you wear _these_ pants!"

I wracked my brain. Say something, stupid, stupid girl! "I will if you do." I finally managed quietly.

Taylor laughed. "I guess I should leave it to the professionals, shouldn't I?"

"Um, well, what if we let the professionals pick our pants and we wear our 'Team Gwen' shirts? You're right, that's a terrible idea."

"I didn't say anything."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that I was talking to the little voice in my head that spits out my dad's quotes.

"Jenna, I like that idea! Ooh, what if we actually wear the leggings! That would be hilarious!"

I didn't have the strength or the willpower to say no. "Yeah, sounds great."

"Jenna, I think we actually had a conversation. You're making serious progress! Now we'll get you to do that to others! Unless, of course, you don't want to. I don't want to force you to do something."

And that's when my walls went down.

I snatched the leggings from his hands. "You know, I could wear the leggings and we could find some, er, actual pants for you. And you could wear this silver hat too!"

Taylor looked at me surprised. "You're so chattery when you let your guard down a bit. You should do it more often."

I just smiled. Some people knew all the right things to say.

Taylor grabbed his ringing phone. "It's my girlfriend. Sorry, I have to take this."

He turned his back, and I slipped away without him noticing. That was enough talking for one day.

I walked onto the stage and saw Taylor walking towards me as well. The piano gave us a chord and we started our a cappella section.

*end of song*

Gwen looked like she was going to cry. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had. She has cried for less.

"The winner of this battle is Taylor John Williams."

I smiled and hugged him. "Good job, Taylor. Have fun!"

I closed my eyes and my dad's image appeared on the inside of my eyelids. _'Stupid, stupid girl. Thinking you would make it farther. Life isn't just handed to you on a silver platter!_

Carson's voice knocked me out of my daydream. "We have a steal! Adam Levine!"

I smiled, and I felt my teeth starting to show. I didn't like smiling with my teeth showing, because I have a small gap between my two front teeth. But for this, I would make and exception.

I walked down and hugged Adam. He looked at my shirt with disgust. "Here, let me fix... _that._"

He uncapped a silver sharpie that sat on top of his chair's tray. He turned me around and started to write. "Now... on... Team... Adam. There we go. Now you're ready for the thrills of Adamness! Adam-land? Whatever you want to call it."

I walked over to Gwen and hugged her. She put her lips up next to my ear and whispered into it. "If you ever need help with stage presence I'll always be here."

And my walls went down for her, too.

**_Chapter 5 coming soon. Hope you liked it._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Well, my sister had a chapter all ready but instead of pressing save, she pressed delete. Great... Enjoy._**

I walked into the rehearsal room to See Taylor Swift and Adam Levine. What had happened to my life?

Taylor was so sweet. "It's great to meet you, Jenna!"

"You, too."

Adam smiled at me. "Gwen told me about your, er, trust issues. I hope they won't become too much of a problem. What song will you be singing for us?"

Gwen was so thoughtful. She knew what needed to happen so I was comfortable. That's why I had chosen he in the first place. But I was on Team Adam now, so I had to answer his questions. "I'm singing _Hide And Seek _by Imogen Heap."

"Christina sang that last season. Good choice."

I grabbed the microphone and get my phone go off in my pocket. It could wait. I dived into the song, adding a hint of smoke to my tone that worked well with this song.

Taylor just stared at me. "Adam, are you _sure_ Gwen let this one go?"

Adam nodded. "I lucked out. Her brother should be proud. Her mom would've been, too. Her dad didn't deserve her." Taylor nodded in agreement, but I was focused on Adam. Either some people knew how to say the right things, or my walls weren't as as strong as I had thought they were. Adam was in, too.

I opened my voicemail and saw a message form the hospital where I had basically lived for a month when my mom had been on the verge of death. I was glad they wanted to congratulate me. They were always sweet like that. I listened to the message for a few seconds the burst into tears, sinking into a pile of nothingness. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled myself together and acted like nothing was wrong. They didn't have to know.

I watched Damien sing his heart out. He acted like every performance was his last. How was I supposed to compete with that?

He sat down- it was my turn to perform.

I finally finished, the last note ringing. Damien joined me in center stage. Blake was all for Damien, and Gwen was for me. Pharrell did his thing where he compared strengths without really choosing a winner.

Adam grimaced. I knew he didn't want to make a decision, but he had to. "The winner is... Jenna."

I smiled. It was a moment of joy poking through the pain that had become overwhelming the past few days.

I walked backstage, and watched the screen provided for the contestants. We could all see what was happening on stage. Next up were Taylor and Troy. Troy danced and sang his heart out, but I knew that Taylor was going to kill it. He always did.

His words cut through me like a knife. "The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had..."

I couldn't help it. I started sobbing uncontrollably. I sank down, my body wracked with sobs. Everyone around me were concerned, but the only people I trusted were all on camera. No one else knew what to do. They just knew that something was seriously wrong.

I barely recognized Taylor winning the battle. He came backstage and saw me. "Oh, Jenna." He sat down next to me and held me, he didn't know what else to do. He reminded me of Alex, in the way he hugged. It was a small comfort.

Taylor looked up at Luke. "Get Gwen and Adam. Now."

Luke nodded, and ran off. A minute later, Gwen kneeled next to me, worry lines all over her face. They made her look younger somehow. Adam watched me with concern.

Taylor said softly, "I know my song was sad, but I didn't need _this_ big of a reaction."

"It's... not... you." I managed to choke out.

"Then what is it, sweetie?"

"Alex."

"Do you want me to get him?"

"He's... dead." I said, which caused another round of tears.

"Did he die just now?"

"No. He... died... right... after... rehearsal."

Gwen stroked my hair. (If no one has ever done that to you, you need to get someone to.)

Carson walked out. "Gwen, Adam, you have to go back on set." He couldn't see me, Adam was hiding me from view.

Gwen grabbed my hand and helped me up. "You're going out there."

Adam stared at her like she had grown a third head. "She's doing what?!"

The had a very heated silent debate, and Gwen seemed to win. "Why don't you sit in my chair with me throughout the next knockout?"

I nodded, happy to be able to stay in Gwen's embrace. I didn't car that I was going to look like a mess on national TV. I just wanted to stay with Gwen. She numbed the pain.

Adam walked back on, and Gwen led me with her. Blake and Pharrell looked at me, concerned. "What happened to Jenna?"

Gwen smiled sadly. "Alex died. And she's been hiding that from us for four days! Crazy girl."

Blake and Pharrell were standing up, about to come over to me, when Carson started speaking.

"The next battle is Team Pharrell."

It was DaNica and Katriz. They both did well, though I could tell they were unnerved by my presence. At least, I think they were. I couldn't really tell from the blanket of tears over my eyes. Pharrell chose DaNica, and Katriz wasn't stolen. Gwen held me the whole time. Carson was smart enough to call a short break after, to give me time to collect myself. But the thing was, I _liked _crying, when it meant that people actually cared about me. That was a new experience.

My crying finally died down, and Gwen helped me back offstage. Taylor put his arm around me, and we walked out of the studio. Heunderstood that I needed to get out of there.

**_What did you think? My sister's getting better at this writing stuff..._**


	6. Chapter 6

**_My sister will write the intros/outros from now on: Hi! This is so much fun! My sister said I was too perky for this sort of thing, but I showed her! Here's the story:_**

I rubbed what little sleep I had gotten out of my eyes as I walked to the new studio room. Taylor had brought me 7 movies- if I surrounded myself with others' lives, I could almost forget how much mine sucked.

It was nice to rehearse in a cozy room instead of the stage like we had done only a few days ago. My life now revealed around music.

Adam looked at me, a mischievous smile playing on his lips; he was hiding something.

As soon as I got close, he hugged me. "You're doing great, kiddo. Thanks for showing up. No one would've held it against you if you didn't.

I just nodded. Adam handed me a list. "These are some songs I picked for you. Find one you like, and we'll do it. You've only been doing slow and haunting songs, so I thought that you should throw a fast one in, to keep the audience's attention. If you don't want to, we can do it next week. That's how confident I am of you. Also, I don't exactly know where you are emotionally."

"I'm fine."

"I don't think you are."

"I'll never _be_ fine. This is as good as it will get. Okay, um, I liked _You And Ur Hand _by Pink. Let's do that one."

Adam nodded sadly. "That one'll work."

We rehearsed it for about an hour, getting all the dynamics right, then we worked on my moving around while singing. I hadn't really done that sort of thing before, but I managed to walk quickly and deliberately the entire performance without getting too out of breath.

I left the studio after getting another hug from Adam. He felt sorry for me, and as much as I hated pity, I liked the fact that he cared.

Team Adam was up first, and I stood, terrified after our group performance. Mia was doing really well, and Matt and Chris had done well before her.

I was up after Mia. My outfit was edgy, a one-sleeved purple shirt and metallic black leggings. After my Taylor had gotten me to wear the silver ones, I found I had a thing for leggings. Plus, Wardrobe liked the look on me. So it worked. I still wasn't comfortable with talking with Team Adam, and none of them tried anymore. So I walked on stage without a single 'good luck' because my Taylor was in the audience. Team Adam's Taylor didn't seem to care. They all did, at first, but I gave them nothing to work with, so they admitted defeat.

I sang and ran around, trying to add sass to each word. After the first verse, it came easily. All I had to do was think of my dad, powerless. It felt so good to bitch about him on stage.

I finished, and Gwen and Adam were standing. Adam always stood for his contestants, but I liked the fact that Gwen still believed in me. The coaches critiqued my performance and I was allowed to leave.

***Two days later***

I stood on the stage, ready to know my fate. Carson's voice rang out. "From Team Adam, we have... Matt and Jenna! Congratulations, America has put you two through!"

I walked off stage. Matt and I watched form the sidelines. I was thrilled to see that Taylor J.W. had made it through. Adam then chose Chris to move forward as well.

The show was just about over when Adam stood up and grabbed Carson's microphone. "Ahem. Can the Top 20 come back out her, please?"

Murmurs rippled through the audience. This hadn't been planned, but everyone did what Adam said anyways. He was Adam Levine, for crying out loud.

Adam started talking- he looked awkward, which was a fist for him. "Well, Jenna's brother has recently passed away, leaving her at a loss of family members."

_We get it, Adam, _I thought, _You don't have to call me out like that._

But Adam wasn't done. "I would like to fill that void. Jenna, may I adopt you?"

I stared at him. Was he serious? He thought he had to ask? I ran up and hugged him, and I hoped he took that as a yes, because it was.

The first thought that crossed my mind was: _His house is as big as my school._

My room was the size of Alex's old apartment. And it was shocking pink. That would have to go, but it was the thought that counted. My new mother, Behati, was still at a photo shoot. I would finally get to meet her later. I found it kind of strange, really, that Adam would adopt me without my meeting his wife. I guess she was really laid-back.

Adam and I had a discussion in his car. He wanted more children than socially acceptable, but since Behati was an underwear model for Victoria's Secret, they couldn't yet. He also wanted a kid who would be okay with him not being around all the time. I fit that.

I didn't hit me until that night, when I was about to go to sleep in my new room. I had a family.

Adam stood in my doorway, watching me. I like my room very dark, so he couldn't tell that I was awake, but I could see him. I couldn't sleep until he left, but I wasn't about to say that. He had given me so much already, I didn't want to break it to him that he reminded me of my blood father. Their silhouettes were eerily similar. I knew it was Adam, but I wanted to make sure my father couldn't hurt me. I never let my guard down, I lived in constant fear, even after 6 years had gone by.

That was also why I still called Adam 'Adam' not dad.

**_Okay, chapter 7 is coming soon! _**_**1PharrellFan thanks so much for your review! I hope you guys liked it!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_It has come to my attention that I do not edit properly. Sorry about that, but I'm not going to change. Anyways, here's Chapter 7! Yay!_**

I walked back into the studio, and saw Adam's face. He had just worked with Chris while I had reviewed my song in the Green Room.

Adam smiled. "What song are you doing this week?"

"Well," I said, "I was thinking _Big White Room_ by Jessie J. I know that DaNica did that song for her blind audition, but I want to put my own spin on it."

"I'll let you do it if you can show me how different your's is from DaNica's and Jessie's. Go."

"Um, I can sing really high."

Adam nodded. "I know, I've heard it."

"Actually, you haven't. I have a few whistle tones I want to show you."

That got Adam's attention. No one else in the competition could do whistle tones. I just hoped mine sounded good.

"Adam, I'm just warning you, they might not be pretty. If they aren't, I give you full veto rights."

Adam nodded, and I took a deep breath and heard my voice pierce the air. Afterwards, Adam stared at me. "Was that C7?"

"Yep. Did it sound okay?"

"It was amazing! I don't say this very often, but you sing really high!"

I smiled. "So, do you like it?"

"I love it! You have to make that the ending!"

I nodded. "Wait, can I do a riff, um, C#6, E6, Eb6, then C7. That okay?"

Adam nodded. "I can't wait. I'll be your your little cheerleader throughout the entire thing!"

After another hour, I was sent off on my own. I was walking past the identical room where Gwen was rehearsing, and I heard her emit a sigh of frustration. "You have to stop stomping!"

I poked my head in. Gwen, sensing my presence, turned. "Oh, Jenna, hi."

"What's the problem?"

Gwen smiled sheepishly at me. "When Taylor sings, he marches to keep time, and it sounds like stomping. Plus, it's very annoying."

"Can I do anything to help? Adam has to get through Matt before we can go home."

Taylor nodded. "If you can do anything to help me, go right ahead."

I walked over to him and whispered two words into his ear.

Taylor's eyes widened. "She's a genius!"

"What?" Gwen asked.

Taylor smiled. "I should sit down!"

Gwen just laughed and squeezed my shoulder. "Thanks sweetie! You can go now."

It sounded a bit rude, but I knew Gwen. She had no filter but her sweetness was overwhelming. She didn't mean to be rude, that was the first thing that popped into her head. I complied, and left.

After the top 12 group performance, I watched two contestants sing. I was third and terrified. I walked onto stage slowly, an the music started. When the ending was about to come, Adam stood up in preparation, putting his pointer finger in the air, almost as a reminder. I hit my whistle tones, and the crowd went silent. I finished my performance, and nothing. You could hear a pin drop, the audience was gaping at me. After 3 seconds, they went wild. Adam was smiling smugly, while the other coaches just stared, open mouthed.

Gwen spoke first. "If I had know you could do _that_ I would never have let you go. That was phenomenal. Where in the world did you get that from? And why haven't you used it before?"

"Well," I started, "I was going to do it in my blind audition, but since I was a special case in the first place, they didn't want me straying from what they had heard. During the battles, I didn't want to have to speak, so I let it go. In the knockouts, the song sat in a lower register, and I didn't want to change the key too much. Same with my last performance. Jessie J is known for her riffs, so I didn't think anyone would be upset if I added something."

I didn't mind telling Gwen this because I knew she wouldn't get mad at me. And she didn't. Blake did. "Jenna, I'm sorry, but I have to kill you now. You are too talented, so I need to put an end to you."

I knew he was teasing, but I couldn't help but be terrified. It sounded too much like what my dad would've done. Pharrell commented on my whistle tones as well, and then I left. Adam didn't say anything. He didn't have to- you could compliment me at home. Home. I had a home. It was a great feeling.

Team Gwen and Team Adam stand next to each other when Carson announces who is moving on. I was thankful for that, because I was able to stand next to Taylor. He had become my makeshift brother over the past week. It was really sweet of him, and it helped. Carson looked at his paper. The first person going through is... Jenna! The second is..."

I didn't listen to the fourth person. I guessed I would be going through based on the audience's reaction, but first? It was amazing. Adam hugged me, and I practically skipped off stage. I was ecstatic.

Taylor joined me a few places later, and he congratulated me on my performance. But I could sense tension. He knew that if I had shown my whistle tones during my battle with him, he wouldn't be here. And that seemed to upset him. Taylor didn't like to get sympathy votes, and usually he didn't. That was my job. But to be pitied by the person that had the worst backstory? That was unimaginable for him. He didn't seem to get that I didn't want to call too much attention to myself at that stage of the competition. Now I didn't care, so I went for my whistle tones. It was that simple.

Taylor didn't say another word to me that day.

**_Chapter 8 should be coming super soon! Thanks for reading! You guys are so sweet!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_I am really starting to hate this website. I had the whole chapter ready, and then the website crashes, losing all my information. Yay. Anyways, here's my chapter!_**

I walked onto the stage and grabbed my microphone. Adam and I had decided on the song _Because Of You_ by Kelly Clarkson because I could connect with the lyrics. Halfway through the second chorus, Gwen started sobbing. That visibly shook me, and I had to look away. I looked backstage and saw Taylor's face. He was on next, and he still wasn't taking to me. Finally, I focused my attention on Adam.

When the song ended, I ran down to Gwen. "Please, stop crying! I can't take it! Stop, Gwen, please!"

Gwen swiped at her eyes. "You've seen me cry before."

"But this time it's because of me."

"Come home with me tonight."

"What?"

"Go back on stage, Jenna."

I did so, and about half the audience was in tears. That was effective.

Gwen smiled as she walked over to me. "The show's over, and I want to take you home with me. I realized that no one knows much about you anymore. It'll be fun, like a sleepover!"

Adam spoke, startling me. "II think that'd be great, Gwen. Jenna would love to go."

Adam then walked away. He had been trying to get me to open up to Behati, and I guess he figured that if Gwen could get it out of me, Behati could too.

Gwen took me to her house, and again I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it. Gwen then gave me the grand tour, which took two hours since she went into excruciating detail, then took me into the living room.

"So, Jenna, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you feel comfortable telling me."

"My life story, then. Short, medium, or long?"

"Long."

"Okay, let's see. My dad was abusive, but my mom didn't know, since we kept it a secret. Our dad was the main financial provider, because he worked form home developing medicines, and she was just a waitress. If she had known what he did to us, she never would've stayed with him, and my mom, Alex, and I would've been out on the streets. So we let her think he was the angel we let her see. She worked long, odd hours so she was hardly ever home. If she ever got suspicious, she didn't let n. I have more than 20 scars on my back, and Alex had more than 30. I don't have many memories of my dad abusing Alex, since by the time Alex was 14 he could hold his own with my dad. But he was always on the defense, since my dad wouldn't have hesitated to throw him in juvy if he stepped out of line. Alex and I were terrified to be in our own house; after school we would stay out as long as we could without making our dad angry. And when we got home, we would lock ourselves in the bathroom we shared because it was the only room we had access to with a lock on it. We spent countless hours in there, trying to get by. When I was 7, my mom got hit by a car. She was in the hospital about a month, and that's where Alex and I basically lived. When my mom died, my dad was devastated. For two days we weren't abused. During the latter of those two days he committed suicide. I watched him die; I was sitting in our gazebo because I liked being outside when it was snowing but didn't like the actual snow. I watched him stab himself, I watched his blood coat the ground. He didn't know I was there. I didn't realize what the knife was for. My dad would use his fists or a pocketknife on us. I thought he was going to take my life, not his. Honestly, I would've been okay if he had taken mine. There was nothing left to live for, no sweet moments of comfort my mom brought. My brother and I got an apartment, and he was technically an adult, so he was allowed to keep me. He sold the house to pay for the apartment. We didn't want to stay in the house that had raised us, it was an unspoken agreement that we had to get out of there. I didn't feel like a burden when Alex got a job to pay for not only him but me, too. I only started to feel like a burden when I started to have nightmares. Every time I woke up in a cold sweat, Alex was sitting my my bed, wide awake. I never knew when he slept. The nightmares have faded now, but back then I was terrified my father was still alive. I felt like I had to earn my keep, like that would somehow repay Alex for the gift of youth he had given me. He had given up his childhood to give me mine, at least for a while. When I was 9, I started busking. I knew Alex wanted to be a musician, and if I hadn't been born he would've moved to Nashville a long time ago. I thought that busking would make him proud. I made pretty good money, and I started doing it every day after school, and on the weekends. Alex saw The Voice season 5, and he wanted to do it. But the day of auditions for Season 6 was on my birthday, and he didn't want to miss my turning 12. He gave me an iPod, and that was amazing. I didn't know he could afford something like that. But somehow he did. And the rest you know."

I didn't realize that tears were streaming down my face, mirroring Gwen's. She held me for a while, then we moved on, watching movies.

I stood on stage, and waited for the Top 8 to be announced. I came in second this week, but I didn't care. I had made it through. My one complaint was that Gwen's expressions were mostly of pity now, instead of the pride I was used to seeing in her eyes. To everyone's surprise, I hugged Gwen before I did Adam. Adam had the rest of his life to learn about me. Gwen already had.

**_What did you think? Sorry if you got bored with Jenna's life story, I felt like it had to be said. Chapter 9 should be out soon!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Hi! I'm back! Yay! My favorite songs are actually the depressing songs, (I have reasons...) and so I'm hoping you might want to listen to these songs... they're really sweet! Okay, chapter time._**

The stakes were higher than ever now, three artists would be eliminated. I had to raise the bar even higher for myself, to make sure that I wouldn't be going home.

I walked into the studio. I had given Adam the task of choosing the song he wanted me to sing. There was supposed to be a collaboration, but I trusted Adam more than I did myself these days. I was terrified of every little thing- Alex's death was soaking in more and more. I was terrified that I would hurt Adam or Behati next. I had figured it out. I was a jinx, I killed all I loved. I was terrified that I was going to make a mistake and they would pay for it. I wanted to end my life once, but I couldn't. Not for me, for Adam, Gwen, Taylor, and all others that had come to care for me. My dad's death was hard to endure, not because I missed him, but because of the way he had died. Pushing that idea out of my head, I tuned into what Adam was saying.

"So, Jenna, I chose the song _Haunted_ by Taylor Swift for you. It has some emotion that you'd be great at conveying, and it's fast enough that people won't lose interest in you. Sound good?"

He looked so eager. But I couldn't help it, I started crying. This was the first time the two of us had been alone when I cried. Gwen had taken control the last time, and it was evident that he didn't know what to do.

"What's wrong?"

"I wouldn't be able to *sob* convey emotion if *sob* all those people hadn't *sob* died, it just seems like *sob* their death was a good *sob* thing, but it *sob* wasn't. I'm sorry." I finished softly, swiping at my eyes.

"Jenna, you'd be good if they hadn't died. That might have made you better, since you have pain now, but you would've gotten that pain through your first boyfriend. You notice the small things, not the big picture. And that's what makes you a good singer- you can put more emotion into two lines of a sad song than I can in this speech. But sometimes you need to step back and see where your life is headed. You need to let loose a bit, whatever happens happens, and it's _not your fault,_ okay?"

It was like he knew. And yet all I could think about when I looked up into his face was that his eyes were green, not brown. I made a note of it.

*That Night*

Adam lead me inside the party. I was wearing a white dress, and I was terrified. I was getting too used to that emotion. Behati had another shoot, so Adam had taken me to one of those child-star's-giant-holiday-blowout. I tried mingling, but the looks were of pity or disgust. They didn't think I belonged there, and I didn't either.

I walked outside, onto the grass. Adam and had agreed to meet at the front door at 11:00, I had two hours of time to kill. I saw a figure sitting in a gazebo, and I went to join her. It was Taylor- Swift, that is.

She looked up at me. "Hey, Jenna. I'm a bit of an introvert, so I like to take a 15 minute breather every once in a while. You?"

"I don't belong in there."

"And just why not?"

"I'm only here because Adam brought me. I can't except my new life quite yet, and they realize that. It's like they can sense my fear. I'm just not strong enough."

"You're only as strong as you let yourself be. Now come on, let's go back in together. Okay?"

I nodded, and she took my hand. If sweetness was Taylor's game-face, it had to be tattooed on. (I think that's a quote, but I can't remember from who...)

Taylor helped me warm up, and I managed to have a few conversations, mostly with stars I vaguely recognized but couldn't name. But I was grateful, but before I could tell her so, my watch beeped, and I had to go to the exit. Adam smiled goofily, and I didn't know if he was sober. When he used uber, my suspicions were confirmed. We didn't get back until midnight, and for the first time since Alex's death, I slept without a single nightmare.

*Time passing...*

I delivered the last line of _Haunted_ and breathed a sigh of relief. The judges seemed to like it, and I felt proud with my performance. Blake and Adam got into a fight about whether she was country or pop in that song. Blake said that she was till country back then, and Adam claimed that there was no indication of country on the track.

It was starting to get out of hand, and it was a live show, so I took a deep breath, and said softly: "Adam, Blake, if you two don't shut up right now I will tell the world every dirty little secret I've learned about you. And if you aren't scared yet, I was _in the_ _room _when you two had a movie night."

Adam's mouth clamped shut, Blake's eyes widened, and Pharrell smirked. He seemed to be the only other person who realized that I had won a battle I had not taken part in.

I made it third, one place behind Taylor. I had't used my whistle tones again, Adam decide to save them for the finale, and I was fine with that. Happy, even. Taylor-Three-Names was talking to me again, and I didn't want to upset him again.

Chris, DaNica, Luke, and Ryan had to fight for their lives. Chris won the mini-battle, and Team Adam was still intact; pushing Pharrell out of the competition.

I walked backstage, feeling proud of myself. That was, until the producers told us that we had to sing _two_ songs for the next episode. I had barely managed to perfect this one song, how would I handle two?

Chris and Matt came over for dinner the following night, as they had since I had been adopted. Adam had deemed it unfair that I got extra rehearsal time with him, so the two boys would come over for 'rehearsal'. We ended up watching a movie or playing a board game, instead. I still enjoyed it, though. It made me feel less lonely. I had a family, and I was loved and adored all over the US, but that was fake love. That was the love of an icon, not of a person. I could still count on one hand the people I could truly count on. Behati wasn't one of them, since even though I knew she cared about me I didn't trust her. That would come in time.

I woke up, I had fallen asleep on the couch, so the boys had chosen a horror movie without letting me veto it. I kept telling them it would be too scary, but they didn't listen. Now they were screaming like babies because of some slug-monster-thingie.

Matt noticed that I was up first. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I have to say, you were right about the horror-movie thing. We'll let you choose next time."

Matt's words were kind, but I couldn't help but be on edge. My dad had worn the same black, thick-framed glasses that he did. It was a silly reason, but somehow I knew that I would never be able to let him in. And that upset me. Matt was super sweet and he had a good sense of humor, I wanted to be friends with him. But I couldn't Adam had offered my therapy, but I had declined, claiming I had it all under control. But did I?

**_Tell me what you think! Chapter 10 coming soon!_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_Okay, Chapter 10's here! Woohoo, right? Well, here you go. Sorry it's been a while._**

I walked into the studio, having chose the song_ If You Could See Me Now_ by The Script. Adam had chosen the other song, and I could not wait to see what he chose for me. I wanted to know the day before, but he had refused. He said it was so we wouldn't cheat, but I knew that it was because he hadn't chosen a song yet.

"I chose _Take A Bow_ by Rihanna. Cool?"

"What, no 'Hi, Jenna, how are you?' What am I, chopped liver?"

"Jenna, I already know everything going on in your life. The song. Is it good?"

"Yeah. Why'd you choose it?"

"Well, you see, I, um, I just chose it two seconds before you walked into the room."

"I thought so."

After rehearsal, I walked over to Gwen. She was discussing the meaning of life with Taylor.

"Can I join your conversation?"

Gwen looked at me tenderly. "I'm afraid you won't understand."

"Why not?"

Taylor answered this time. "It's just that, well, you haven't lived enough of life to really, um, contemplate it."

I sighed and stormed away. I was always too young. Adam was always telling me to make friends my own age, but The Voice was taking up so much of my time, I could only really become friends with people also involved in it. I felt tears sting my eyes, surprising me. I had always done things on my own, I had never needed help. Alex had already done so much, I hadn't wanted to make him do more. People had been sympathetic, but I had pushed them all away. And yet, the one time I wanted other people in my life, they didn't come.

/-/-/-/-/-/

I finished _If You Could See Me Now _ and Gwen was crying. But, for the first time, I wasn't concerned. Gwen would cry, it's what she did. I couldn't stop it, it wasn't my responsibility. I couldn't fix everything. I didn't _have_ to fix everything. And a weight lifted off my shoulders. I didn't have another nightmare.

/-/-/-/-/-/

I was proud with both of my performances, and I was awarded with making it in third. But to my immense surprise, Matt and Taylor had to fight for their lives against the rest of the Top 20 for only one spot.

/-/-/-/-/

I sat on the Today show, waiting for the Wildcard contestant to be announced.

Matt walked out from behind the curtain, and I immediately plastered a smile on my face. After 13 years of making it look like I was happy, no one realized my discomfort. I was happy for Matt, really, but I had lost my one friend on the show. I used to think that Gwen was my friend, but she considered herself more of a motherly figure. Taylor would go back to Oregon, and I wasn't sure when I would see him again. And that thought terrified me.

/-/-/-/-/

Adam's words hit me like a train. "You'll perform a cover, an original song, and you'll do a duet with me. Then on the actual finale you'll do a bring back performance with three of your Voice friends, a performance with the Top 20, a performance with a special star The Voice got, and a performance with the girls of the season. Have fun."

SO. MANY. SONGS. How would I manage?

**_Sorry it wasn't as long as some of my other chapters... tell me what you think!_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Sorry I've put off writing this for so long. I just didn't want it to end! well, here's the last chapter!_**

I walked into the studio, rubbing my eyes. Gwen was sitting on a couch, reading _People_ magazine. "Jenna, you look... tired."

"I got two hours of sleep last night. Maybe."

"_Great_ work."

"Hey, I have to sing three songs one night and then four more the next night. I need all the practice time I can get. Today I get to meet my special guest that I'll be singing with."

I walked into the practice room to see Jessie J.

"Hello, I'm Jessie. You must be Jenna." She said in that cute accent of hers.

I nodded. "So what song will I be singing with you?"

"My new song _Masterpiece_. Here are the lyrics, let's see what you can do."

/-/-/-/-/-/

Adam handed me the finale schedule. I was first, singing _Iris_ by The Goo Goo Dolls. Later in the show, Adam and I were singing _Blown Away_ by Carrie Underwood. Even later, I would sing my original song, _Pull You In._ I was upset that I hadn't written it, but I doubted that I would've had the time. The day after, I'd sing in the opener _Pompeii, _then I'd sing _Masterpiece _with Jessie J, then for my bring back performance I'd sing _Between The Lines_ by Sara Bareilles with Taylor John Williams, Reagan James, and Bryanna Salaz. After, I'd sing _Bang Bang _with the rest of The Voice girls.

So much to do, I didn't know if I could handle it.

Only one way to find out.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The main line in _Iris_ was 'I want you to know who I am'. I wasn't going to wear any makeup and Hair wasn't allow to touch one light blond hair on my head. My hair was extremely thin and annoyingly straight. The tear tracks permanently etched into my face were clearly seen, and my eyelashes were so light they were almost invisible, making my blue eyes stand out even more. I pulled my hair in a ponytail with many annoying bumps. I wore sweat pants and a red shirt thats straps tied together on the back of my neck. The shirt had a built in bra and a line of fabric on the very bottom of the shirt. It left my back completely bare, showing all 37 scars from beatings and knives. I was barefoot, and I was wearing no nail polish. I went out onstage, and the crowd gasped in astonishment. I wasn't bad looking, but I wasn't beautiful, either. Hair, Makeup, and Wardrobe could do so much better. And yet, I had never felt so beautiful.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

I sat on a chair next to Adam as we sang. The song was emotional, and I managed to hold my own against Adam just because my voice was so different from his. There was nothing to compare between our voices, so no one thought '_Adam is killing her out there._' And that felt nice, especially since I was done up again.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next night, I gathered Reagan, Taylor, and Bryanna around me. Taylor was the only one I felt truly confident with, but Reagan and Bryanna were close to my age. The four of us sang softly, gently, and our version was amazing. I had left it up to Taylor to arrange the song, sincere had proved with _Royals_ that he was an amazing arranger. I, also, could arrange, but I had too much on my plate. I simply could not do everything.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

I slipped into my red maxi dress and stood with the girls of the voice. Bryanna and I were the most into it, I found that I had to be completely into a song or I fell short.

Even I had to admit, I enjoyed hanging with the girls. They brought a new energy to the stage.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Finally, it was time for the winner to be announced.

Carson's voice rang out: "In fourth place... Chris! In third place... Matt!"

I either won or came in second. Either way, I was ecstatic.

"And the winner is... CRAIG WAYNE BOYD!"

I smiled and walked off to the side. I looked over at Adam. He owned a record company, didn't he..."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Adam, I want a record deal."

Adam looked up from his papers. "You want a what now?"

"A record deal. You have a company. I've already written 13 songs, with a bit of refinement to them, I could have an album out in under a month."

"Deal."

**_Tadah! Okay, this story's done! I have an idea for a sequel, and I basically have the plot worked out for it, but I'd have to wait for season 8 to start so I would know the contestants... I'm thinking that Jenna would be the superstar advisor... Please tell me if this is a good idea or not! Bye for now!_**

**_River._**


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